


Chapter Three: Celebrimbor

by cytryne



Category: TOLKIEN J. R. R. - Works & Related Fandoms, The Silmarillion and other histories of Middle-Earth - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Analysis, Don't copy to another site, Essays, Gen, I do feel like jrrt would approve tho, It just happened, basically I wrote an essay a folklore scholar in gondor may have written, honestly I don't know what I have written here, in-universe narration of theoretical folk tales based off of the books, scholarly articles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-29
Updated: 2019-06-29
Packaged: 2020-05-29 14:24:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,213
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19402144
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cytryne/pseuds/cytryne
Summary: "Legend casts Celebrimbor in a unique role compared to the average dichotomy of purely good or purely evil characters. This stays the same across nearly all versions, from Rohirric to Gondorian to even Easterling. Yet do any of these have a historical basis? Which fable is the most accurate, and why is the Dwarven version set apart from the rest in casting Celebrimbor as a hero?"-chapter summary for "Celebrimbor", in The Folk Heroes of the First and Second Ages. Published by the White City University, 700 Fourth Age





	Chapter Three: Celebrimbor

**Author's Note:**

> What did I write.

Legend—with the sole exception of Dwarven legend, in which Celebrimbor is a much more honest, tragic character—paints Celebrimbor as the good Feanorian. As an elf who strove with every breath against the evil of his family, yet was tainted nonetheless. Children listen to his tale with baited breath as their parents extoll on the taint of pride that blinds to each and every flaw one does not want to see and exaggerates those that are barely there. Sauron is clearly evil, yet the Celebrimbor of this tale ignores all those trying to tell him thanks to his pride. Certain versions embellish it further, adding family—of a proper variety for the stereotypes of the culture—who are innocent but also pulled down by his pride. His redemption comes at the climax of the tale, as he refuses to give into the evil of Sauron even in the face of death. The actual results of this are sanitized for the ears of children and vary, but it is universally agreed that he redeemed himself in keeping his lips shut and slowing the spread of evil until stronger—better—heroes could put an end to it once and for all.

His case is unusual in its ambiguity. All other universal legends amongst the races are known to portray their main characters as entirely good or evil. Haleth; a woman folk hero drawn from the earliest days of recorded history. Finrod*; an elf from a similar time, said to withstand the forces of Sauron on his own for months. The Feanorians themselves; the main case of evil elves quoted by those factions that believe anyone who associates with elves is of dubious morals. All cultures are ripe with figures such as these.

The effects of these characters and archetypes on culture and children in particular cannot be understated, but this has been studied enough. A larger question is how accurate these portrayals are, and whether their stories have any basis in fact at all. To explore this, we can first dive into the unique differences present in the dwarves variations of the tale, before looking at what is known from the few surviving elven artifacts of the era. 

While it is impossible for a Gondorian scholar to dive fully into the tale thanks to its Khuzdul origins, a translation will serve to at least explore the concepts present. To begin, this version refers to Celebrimbor exclusively as Tyelperinquar. It is commonly thought that elves of that era had multiple names and this may indeed be simply one example of that phenomena, but it may also signify something else due to the elven multiple languages now extinct. Nothing can be known for certain from this difference because of their extinction, but it is still important to note. For simplicity, Tyelperinquar will not be used in this analysis.

The Dwarven account of his early life remains much the same as the common version dictated earlier, with Celebrimbor turning from his family towards the side of good. However, it emphasizes that this was not because he hated his family but because he wanted to do what was best for the world, and never includes him facing off against them directly. This is likely due to the importance of family in the Dwarven culture. Whether it is accurate or not is as questionable as with all other versions of the tale, but it makes sense in the context of the culture. Fables aimed towards children would wish to encourage common family values even while focusing on doing good. 

The major divergence comes around the creation of the rings of power. According to the Dwarven version, Sauron came to Celebrimbor in disguise and it was not his fault he was deceived. This is a unique take and, thanks to its lack of a clear moral purpose, many experts believe it may be closer to the historical truth than the other versions. Still, it is hard to tell. This version inevitably includes a long section of detail on the rings of power, though near every family has a different account of this area. No common themes can be found except that they exist.

The Dwarven tale ends much the same as the others, with Celebrimbor heroically refusing to give up the rings. Overall, it treats him much more sympathetically than any other version. He can be called an unequivocal hero in Dwarven culture. Indeed, he is a favorite for children seeking to play being a hero. There are even plays based on his story. 

From remaining elven books, this makes sense in a historical context. Many of these claim Celebrimbor was a dwarf-friend, with a very close relationship to the various lords throughout the Second Age. One, Narvi* is often cited as being a personal friend. The Doors of Durin—an artifact dating from the Second Age, known to have been broken during the Quest to end Sauron—are often attributed to Narvi and Celebrimbor. Recently, remnants of the Doors have been recovered by a Rohirric archaeological expedition. They were pieced together and proven to have once formed an eight-point star, the same star thought to have been the Feanorians’ sign. As Celebrimbor was the only Feanorian alive at this time, it was almost certainly his work and proves that there was some relationship between the Dwarves of that age and Celebrimbor.

Unfortunately, none of the elves currently present in the continent were alive during that time, but a group of University scholars recently had the opportunity to talk to them about the history they learned as children. This is the closest we will ever get to a first-person account of that time, however, it is hard to take as legitimate testimony thanks to the ever-increasing anti-elf sentiment. Still, it would be reprehensible to not include their accounts in this search for the truth. Names will not be mentioned for their safety. One, born in the years following the first war against Sauron and the fall of Numenor, hailed from Rivendell* and it is her testimony that will be highlighted here. She recounted how her parents told her about those days exactly, and that is what is being summarized here. According to this account, Celebrimbor was the son of a Feanorion** who split from that crusade due to moral differences, much like in the familiar tale. She also reiterated that Celebrimbor did not give the rings to Sauron in the face of death. However, she claimed that he did not know who Sauron was! This is identical to the Dwarven version. While this is still a recounted version of a story told to a child, it is the closest we will ever come to confirmation of this aspect as historical fact. 

We can guarantee that Celebrimbor was an actual person, who most likely was deceived by Sauron. Unfortunately, we will probably never know the details of this classic fable.

*exact names unknown

**she was extremely particular on this point, mentioning that Feanorians were the collective name for all followed that group and that Feanorions were those we commonly refer to as Feanorians. The accuracy of this is unknown.

-excerpt from “Celebrimbor”, in _The Folk Heroes of the First and Second Ages_. Published by the White City University, 700 Fourth Age 


End file.
